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Editorial: Setbacks in 2017 toward creating year-round economy

As the new year began, there was optimism that 2017 would bring not only an opportunity to diversify our economy but to advance toward one that could be sustainable year-round.

What a difference a year makes.

Moving beyond the goal of creating a diversified economy toward building a year-round one not as susceptible to a summer slowdown was one of seven community priorities identified by the Naples Daily News editorial board a year ago.

Now we’ll settle for where we were a year ago. As 2016 ended:

» Collier government was fresh off a collaborative venture with the state that provided expansion incentives for Arthrex, a North Naples-based manufacturer of medical devices. The county’s quintessential private employer promised to expand and add hundreds of well-paying jobs in Collier.

» Construction, real estate, tourism and agricultural mainstays were teeming again after the recession.

» Gov. Rick Scott, highly successful in growing jobs and recruiting companies to Florida during his tenure, was shepherding a remake of the state’s economic development agency to curtail wasteful spending and was seeking business expansion incentive money from the Legislature.

» Florida Gulf Coast University was pursuing new degrees to meet job-market demands.

» The Collier County Commission’s majority was changing with new ideas for economic growth expected to move forward. Collier government was looking at expanding into new facets of tourism, plus business growth through an Immokalee accelerator.

Where are we now?

Today, Arthrex is expanding again with 1,000 more jobs, but this time in South Carolina where there is a better-trained workforce and housing for half the cost. Local leaders are trying to figure out how to pay for a workforce training center so we can import clean manufacturing, high-technology jobs rather than exporting them.

New building construction permits in Collier hit their low points of 2017 in September, October and November after highs of 293 in June and 287 in August. For perspective, though, the 163 in November matched the number in that month of 2016.

State lawmakers in 2017 resisted Scott’s efforts to invest in economic incentives and tourism promotion. FGCU is still seeking that academic expansion.

The Immokalee accelerator is a work in progress with its orientation toward food products, yet Florida agriculture was devastated by Irma.

While the hurricane necessarily changed local spending priorities, we applaud Collier commissioners for not delaying plans for an amateur sports complex to lure national tournaments and diversify our tourism industry. The means to pay for it already had been approved when the 4 percent tourist tax was increased earlier this year to 5 percent.

This month commissioners wisely agreed to buy a 61-acre tract near Interstate 75 and Collier Boulevard for $12 million. Construction of an estimated $48 million complex won’t begin for a year, when Irma recovery should be substantially in our rear-view mirror.

That’s a plus compared with a year ago. Another is seeing work start on Arthrex’s new global headquarters in North Naples.

Beyond looking at individual segments of our economy, there’s the composite view provided by FGCU’s Industry Diversification Index. It compares 22 Florida metropolitan areas quarterly in economic diversity. The Naples-Marco Island-Immokalee area was best in the state for economic diversification the first half of the year, then fell to No. 6 in the third quarter of 2017. The fourth-quarter report released in mid-December shows slight improvement to No. 4.

Recovery from a major hurricane can take years. Regaining a foothold toward creating a sustainable year-round economy might take longer.